Plano, Texas

The entirety of the present-day timeline of the novel takes place in the suburbs of Plano, Texas where the Chengs live. This setting is in ironic contrast to the theme of danger, which pervades the novel. It is noted that Patty and Liang chose to live in Plano because it is very safe. The narrator explains that "Plano had the lowest crime rate in Texas," but that it had also once been "the heroin capital of America" (12) and "the suicide capital of America" (13) at various times. This suggests that like the Chengs, Plano appears safe and stable on the surface, but there are complicated, worrisome issues underneath the surface. The author also explores how suburban life can cause conflict among families as people compete to appear more successful and happy than their neighbors and gossip about one another's personal problems. The neighborhood the Chengs live in is...